News

MINING IN SAN PEDRO AYAMPUC

In January 2011 we learned that mining exploration licenses had been awarded to two Canadian Gold companies who intend to construct and carry out underground, as well as, open pit gold and silver mining operations in San Pedro Ayampuc.  After evaluating the environmental impact and the devastating affect that these types of mines have had on the health and quality of life of the people in other areas of Guatemala, we began an educational campaign in our local communities with the purpose of helping the population of the affected communities be informed and prepared and to accompany them as they put together a Commission to organize and direct a community based good will consultant assembly, according to Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization, in which the population can give voice to their acceptance or rejection of mining activities in their area. A number of organizations, such as NISGUA, the Indigenous Women’s Movement Tz’ununijá, the Franciscan Peace and Justice Office and MadreSelva Ecological Collective have been assisting and supporting us in this effort.  At the end of April we had conducted 35 sessions with over 3000 participants.  In addition, on March 30, we spearheaded a passive demonstration that involved more than 5000 participants, including local schools, social development organizations and concerned community members.  We ask your prayers and support as we continue to accompany the communities in the collective struggle for the well being of all.  “Let everyone stand up, let everyone be called, let there not be a group, or two groups among us that are left behind the others.”  (Popol Vuh) 

2010 VOLUNTEERS WIDENED THE CIRCLE AND ENRICH LIVES

During 2010 we continued to welcome groups and individuals who donated their skills, time, energy and heart to expand the scope of the services offered by the Health Care Project. For the ninth time the surgery team from Dayton, Ohio carried out a weeklong surgery campaign. The dedication of this team was inspiring as they performed complex surgeries under very simple conditions helping to make lives better! Returning for a third year, the Health Care Project welcomed Sonja Bontrager and a group of students from Newman University in Wichita, Kansas. This has been a significant and meaningful connection for Sisters Dani and Kris as Newman University is sponsored by their congregation, the Adorers of the Blood of Christ. Five young people, who are students at the Maria de Mattias Institute in La Labor, provided community service during the school year in the dental health education programs. Their sense of responsibility and enthusiasm in participating in the programs was refreshing. Our friends from various church groups also returned this year, continuing the tradition of support and sharing the gifts and grace of God among us. Vic Weltig, longtime friend and supporter of the healthcare project spent 10 days with us enlivening us with his energy and open spirit.  All of these wonderful experiences have helped develop long lasting professional relationships and personal friendships that connect and change the lives of everyone involved.

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF SERVICE!

Hard to believe that 15 years ago this great work was started but it’s true and so on October 1, 2010 we celebrated the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Sangre de Cristo Health Care Project.  On staff, there are still 3 of the original 8 who were there when the project initiated, Sister Dani and Hilda and Silvia.  The celebration started off with sharing together a festive luncheon along with the presentation of honors for those completing 5, 10 and 15 years of service in the Project.   Then the afternoon was spent in a wonderful community celebration as hundreds of well wishers participated in the cultural activities that included typical dances presented by some of the different schools, presentations of awards and signs of gratitude for the services provided in the communities, reciting of poems, mini raffles based on questions about the project (it was great to see how much people know about the project) and traditional marimba music.   The cultural afternoon was followed by a celebratory religious Mass with Fr. Bill Beuth, CPPS as the main celebrant and Sister Dani, Administrative Director, Tono Reyes, Director of the Environmental Health Program and Dona Martita, a community leader giving the homily and sharing their reflections with the many people who filled the church in La Laguneta to over capacity!  The church was beautifully decorated and filled with different floral arrangements that schools and groups had sent to the Project to say thanks for these 15 years.   After Mass there was a surprise visit of live mariachi music followed by an authentic Guatemalan performance called the quemada de torito (burning of the bull), where someone is inside a frame in the shape of a bull and covered with firecrackers that go off as the person dances around!  Then fireworks lit up the night sky as everyone enjoyed the traditional Guatemalan food of tamales.  Great fun was had by all in celebrating the immeasurable good that has been shared in service during these past 15 years.  And after months and months of rain, including the night before when the team members and volunteers got drenched as they worked into the night preparing and setting things up for the celebration, the only time it rained this day was when we were all in Mass...God and the spirits were blessing all this day!  And so we say thanks to each of you for being part of what the Health Care Project has shared and the good that has been done during these past 15 years…Happy Anniversary! 

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND TROPICAL STORM 2010

One evening near the end of the month of May a co-worker called asking about the possibility of using one of the Project’s vehicles to rescue her brother’s family south of the city because he had just called and said they were being bombarded by ash, sand and burning rocks from the nearby Pacaya volcano.  After several phone calls, we began to hear about the tremendous explosion that was happening and then the volcanic sand started falling heavily in our area which is about 25 miles north of the volcano.  Needless to say, our co-worker did not go to rescue her brother as the situation became too dangerous and the health care project suspended services as it was too treacherous to be on the roads.  The volcanic eruption produced a heavy black sand which created havoc on the roads, weight that crashed in tin roofs and became even heavier like concrete when mixed with water, which came the next day when tropical storm Agatha hit Guatemala with force.  Several of the communities where we provide services suffered mudslides, burying families, homes and making precarious situations even worse.  Over the course of the next week, we visited a number of these sites, meeting with survivors, taking food, water and clothing, responding in what way we could to the devastating situations that we encountered.  Over the course of the next months the rains have continued and our main road used by over 100,000 people daily, has developed 3 spots where half the road collapsed.  This created a very dangerous situation as traffic and water continued to go over the weak half still standing, causing even more erosion of the only connection our whole area has with the capital city.  As of August, a small road crew continues to work on the larger of the areas having repaired one site in July, but the road continues to erode away and the rains continue to fall.  Our efforts in the health care project are now focused on providing support to families who were affected by these disasters and have not received assistance from other sources.  And in the midst of these tragedies there have been moments of grace and hope…like listening to Paola, an older woman of great faith who shared her story of being rescued by her sons and neighbors after being completely buried alive in mud.  She stood sharing her story with us the day she was released from the hospital, only 4 days after this had happened. 

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION LEADS TO COMMUNITY ACTION

During 2009, The Environmental Health and Sanitation Program carried out an intensive training program with 30 secondary school students in the Kakchiquel indigenous village of San Jose Nacahuil.  The students responded enthusiastically to the program and requested that a continuation of the program be implemented during 2010.  In addition to further education and training on topics such as use of natural resources, managing environmental pollution and destruction, adequate waste management and sustainable development, the students also requested help in implementing a recycling program from which materials will be used to develop a tree nursery thus obtaining the resources necessary to implement reforestation actions to help protect the water sources of their own community.  Having been empowered through their increased awareness of the needs of their own community and the consciousness that they are able to respond with viable solutions, these students are committed to carrying out actions that will improve the quality of life for their community.  In December of 2009 Sister Therese Wetta, ASC of the international council of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ visited and had the opportunity to participate and share in the beginning activities with this group of enthusiastic and dedicated young people.

FROM DREAM TO REALITY: FIRST STEP IN THE BUILDING PROJECT

Over the course of the past 15 years, the Sangre de Cristo Health Care Project has been providing services in borrowed space in the 5 communities where the medical clinics are located.  In addition, much of the administration is done out of the parish house where Sisters Dani and Kris live.  Two local parishes and another organization also lend storage space for the different distribution warehouses.  Seeing the growth of the Health Care Project and the consistency of services over the years, several years ago, we recognized the need for a permanent site to help maintain the services provided and allow for long-term sustainability of the Project.  And thus the idea was born of creating a center that would be the hub or the heart of the Sangre de Cristo Health Care Project, providing a central place for administrative, training and distribution activities and would be the center from which all the various services and activities would go out into the different communities.  After some time of planning and preliminary work, in October, 2009, the first step in realizing this dream of a permanent center for the Health Care Project was carried out with the construction of a retaining wall along the front of the site.  The architectural design and construction plans have been developed and donated by MU Arquitectos and now we are ready to do some serious fundraising to make this dream come true!

PLASTIC BAGS NO MORE

To help raise environmental consciousness and put into practice even more what we have been promoting in our Environmental Health and Sanitation Program, at the beginning of 2009 we stopped giving free plastic bags at our pharmacies and are no longer using plastic bags for the dental health kits.  If, for whatever reason, a patient requests a plastic bag at the pharmacy, we ask them to contribute Q1.00 which is then donated to the Environmental Health Program to help support their activities in reducing waste and promoting recycling.  Over the course of the year we decreased our overall plastic bag use by 98%.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR BEGINS SERVICE

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Adela Jáuregui as the Medical Director effective January 1, 2008. Adela comes with 20 years of experience as a doctor and has been providing medical service with the Health Care Project for 7 years, during which time she has shown leadership and a deep commitment to living out the mission of the Sangre de Cristo Health Care Project. We welcome and support her as she begins this new responsibility.

MARGO BEGINS A NEW JOURNEY

It is with great sadness but with hearts filled with profound gratitude that we say farewell to Dr. Margo Young, CPPS who completed her time as Medical Director of the Health Care Project at the end of December, 2007. During these past 12 years Margo has given unconditionally of herself, always reaching out to others, sharing compassionate, heartfilled service with innumerable patients. During this time Margo also coordinated many medical campaigns that helped to provide otherwise unavailable specialized services for the communities of our area. These included the surgery campaigns that she developed with her colleagues from Dayton, Ohio and Rome City, Indiana. Responding to special needs, Margo did not limit her vision to our area as she mobilized the Health Care Project to reach out to others after the disasters of hurricane Mitch in 1998, the earthquake in El Salvador in 2001and hurricane Stan in 2005. In this same year, Margo spent 4 months sharing her gifts and talents with the victims of the Asian tsunami in southern India. Margo has also been instrumental in guiding the medical staff in the implementation of an interdisciplinary practice model with a focus on team interactions and personalized service which is now the hallmark of our medical clinics. Her unwavering leadership has helped the Project to grow and evolve into the wonderful service organization it is today. Her healing presence, wisdom spirit and welcoming smile will be greatly missed. Together we ask God's blessings and grace on her new endeavors and continued journey.

AWARD WINNING PROJECT - ONCE AGAIN!

For the second time in four years, in 2007, the Sangre de Cristo Health Care Project was named one of the top non profit health/educational organizations in Guatemala by the Juan Bautista Gutierrez Foundation in their annual "Helping Those Who Help" campaign. Our 4 primary school health education programs were the focus for this year's award. The national recognition and generous monetary award motivates us to continue our commitment of providing quality health services to those most in need. Join with us as we give thanks for this special gift that has been shared with our outstanding project.

HEALTH CARE PROJECT GOES ON THE RADIO

At the beginning of 2006 the Health Care Project was invited by the University Radio Station to broadcast a program about the services of the Project. Since that first show in 2006 and throughout all of 2007, the Health Care Project participated once a month in the program Medical Classroom, providing information about community health services and instructing listeners how they can carry out the health promoting activities in their own homes and communities. Each month a different group from the Project shared their knowledge, expertise and accomplishments so that others could learn from our experience, thus allowing the impact and effect of the Sangre de Cristo Health Care Project to reach out on a national level.

DENTAL SERVICES ON PARADE

In September, 2006, the personnel from our 2 dental clinics helped promote and participated in a parade sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive to celebrate Dental Health Month. Six schools from our area took part in the festivities which included a large rally at the end of the parade. As part of the activities, one of our participating schools was awarded first place for the demonstration show that they performed before the large crowd. A educationally fun day was had by all…including our two dentists who walked the 3 miles of the parade!

CELEBRATION OF 10th ANNIVERSARY

A milestone was reached and celebrated in October, 2005 as the Sangre de Cristo Health Care Project commemorated its tenth anniversary. Throughout the first week of October a number of activities were carried out to honor and celebrate the founding of the Health Care Project 10 years ago. These activities included free dental exams and cleanings, sharing of an anniversary cake with the patients from the different communities along with raffles, prizes and music at each clinic site, 10% discount on all lab exams, and a pack of vitamins for each person who came to the pharmacies during the week of celebration. A festive atmosphere was present as each clinic site decorated and displayed photos of the history of the Project. The Environmental Health and Sanitation team gave a series of 10 conferences centered on health, quality of life and the environment. These talks were carried out in the different communities where the Project serves in order to confirm and continue to share identification and solidarity with these communities. Sister Dani and 2 team members also participated in a radio interview about the services of the Project. The celebrations culminated on Friday, October 7 with a special luncheon for the Health Care Team and invited guests. This was followed by a community Eucharistic service that was attended by over 700 friends, supporters and beneficiaries of the Health Care Project. The celebrations continued into the night with a fiesta of tamales and music in the village park of La Labor, San Pedro Ayampuc.

KIM SHEPHERD: COLEAGUE AND FRIEND OF GENEROUS HEART

The Health Care Project team, patients and friends continue to remember fondly our dear friend Kim Shepherd. In April of 2004, we all were shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death of Kim at home in Ohio. In addition to coordinating and doing the preliminary planning and setting up for four surgery campaigns, Kim shared her smile and presence in many ways with the people of Guatemala . Two hand painted murals by Kim grace the wall of one of the dental clinics. Each nurse's station has a colorful growth chart drawn by Kim and her way of sharing joy with kids was infectious as she handed out "Mardi gras" beads and small toys to those who came to the medical campaigns carried out up on the mountain. Kim shared her big and loving heart in such a way that it stretched from Dayton to Guatemala and back again, touching many people along the way. We thank our God for the generous time she shared with us and we miss her dearly.

AWARD FROM THE JUAN BAUTISTA GUTIERREZ FOUNDATION

We are proud to announce that on August 5, 2003 the Juan Bautista Gutierrez Foundation named the Sangre de Cristo Health Care Project as one of the top not-for-profit health/educational organizations in Guatemala. From a field of 139 participants in the Foundation's annual "Helping Those Who Help" program, we were awarded third place, which in addition to the national recognition also included a generous monetary donation to help continue the services of the Project.

Accepting the award from the Juan Bautista Guttierez Foundation

MARIA DE MATTIAS NAMED A SAINT

On May 18, 2003, the Sangre de Cristo Health Care Project, along with the Maria De Mattias Secondary School Institute, celebrated here in La Labor, the canonization occurring in Rome, Italy of Saint Maria De Mattias, foundress of the religious congregation, Adorers of the Blood of Christ. In addition to assisting at the celebratory Mass, Project members provided a station with health screenings during the day's activities and members of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Team presented a workshop on Recycling. Over 1,500 people joined with the family of the Maria De Mattias Institute to rejoice in this memorable recognition of their patron and namesake.

Celebrating the canonization of Saint Maria de Mattias

Click here to see a list of Friends of the Project